Someone help me with a speech topic

[airmenair]

I need a persuasive speech topic that will "persuade my audiece to action" relating to engineering. Ideas anyone?

Thanks

[Adunaphel]

In what way do you want to persuade your audience to action? Do you want them to take up arms and kill their opressors? Do you wan them to commit mass suicide? Do you want them to go out and study some engineering subject? Do you want them to discover cold fusion?

Anyway, if you want to enthuse people for engineering studies (my guess is that that is what you want to accomplish), going with an example of real-life applications of engineering is a good choice. Like how automotive engineering made our cars safer/ cleaner/ ugliermore beautiful.

[airmenair]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

In what way do you want to persuade your audience to action? Do you want them to take up arms and kill their opressors? Do you wan them to commit mass suicide? Do you want them to go out and study some engineering subject? Do you want them to discover cold fusion?

Anyway, if you want to enthuse people for engineering studies (my guess is that that is what you want to accomplish), going with an example of real-life applications of engineering is a good choice. Like how automotive engineering made our cars safer/ cleaner/ ugliermore beautiful.

It doesn't really matter how or what way I want to persuade my audience to action, just as long as I do. So, with that in mind, and with the criteria my professor has laid before me, if I can successfully convince them to commit mass suicide, then I get an A. Of course that will depend on whether I relate it to engineering or not.

But, I'm definately thinking "real-world" my original topic was to convince the audience that waste-to-energy power plants were a viable source of energy, etc. but the professor tells me that it is an informative speech in disguise.

I've been thinking about turbo-charging, convincing them it's a cheap, easy way to get more power and better economy out of a otherwise weak engine, and presenting it as an alternative for them to consider next time they look at buying a new car. As opposed to hybrids and ethanol vehicles.

[toma_alimosh]

Well, you could put it like this:
The british army will implement their "invisibility" technology on tanks in the year 2012. As a response, many nations will petition it to disable its technology due to paranoia. Britain would be too pompous to do it, and thus military conflict will ensue. And it will go as far as nuclear war. So you might as well kill yourself now, because your days are numbered.

Or you could tell them that you've just released a bunch of nanites in the room that's going to turn each and every one of them impotent.

[Adunaphel]

Originally Posted by airmenair

I've been thinking about turbo-charging, convincing them it's a cheap, easy way to get more power and better economy out of a otherwise weak engine, and presenting it as an alternative for them to consider next time they look at buying a new car. As opposed to hybrids and ethanol vehicles.

How about turbodiesel engines (Bluetec for example) or VW's TSI technology? They're both great alternatives to Hybrids.

[matt2000]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

How about turbodiesel engines (Bluetec for example) or VW's TSI technology? They're both great alternatives to Hybrids.

indeed, i'd much prefer to have a diesel engine like the one in the Bluemotion Polo than an electric motor to make the car more expensive to build and slower

maybe something about loosing weight in modern cars? needs to be done before you can think about shrinking the engines

[airmenair]

I think we're onto something now.

[airmenair]

Anyone know how many new turbodiesels are on sale in the US right now?

[Cobol74]

Not very many - I think that there is a thread with some info in it. I seem to recall that only VW seems to try to sell Diesel cars in the US at all. May be one or two others. I'll have a hunt around for you.

/EDIT well not too good :

http://www.vw.com/vwbuzz/browse/en/u...el_in_Ohio/163

[airmenair]

Originally Posted by Cobol74

Not very many - I think that there is a thread with some info in it. I seem to recall that only VW seems to try to sell Diesel cars in the US at all. May be one or two others. I'll have a hunt around for you.

/EDIT well not too good :

http://www.vw.com/vwbuzz/browse/en/u...el_in_Ohio/163

Yea, I'm not turning up much of anything either. Seems with the "eco-movement" going on here in the US, VW would be wise to bring some of the cars you guys get over here. Advertising a car with 70 mpg here is unheard of, people tend to think 30 is alot. I imagine they'd sell well, I mean they brought the smart car here!

[zenkidori]

there are a CRAPTON(actual measurement) of turbo-diesels on sale in the US, they're just all in trucks.

[airmenair]

Originally Posted by zenkidori

there are a CRAPTON(actual measurement) of turbo-diesels on sale in the US, they're just all in trucks.

True that

[Blind_Io]

Convince them that Gasoline Hybrids are a dead-end technology, and that it would be better for the environment to burn all the Pri'i than it would be to drive them.

[airmenair]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Convince them that Gasoline Hybrids are a dead-end technology, and that it would be better for the environment to burn all the Pri'i than it would be to drive them.

Well, I've already committed to a topic, but I still need to convince why not to pick a hybrid/ethanol vehicle/fuel cell car.

You got some reasons that would work? I have a few in my head.